Warwick’s new graduation anthem debuts
Commissioned to celebrate Warwick’s 60th anniversary, the new anthem is a collaborative composition by staff and students. Titled 'The Way is Won', the music and lyrics aim to evoke feelings of hope and celebration, while balancing a reflection on past experiences with aspirations for the future.
The anthem has been played for students and their families during every graduation ceremony this summer, in a recorded performance by our Chamber Choir, Brass and Percussion.
Watch how the anthem was made and hear from the people involved in the video on the right.
Suzzie Vango, Associate Artist, Warwick Arts Centre:
"I had never collaborated on a choral composition in quite this way before, so the process was both exciting and hugely rewarding. I’m proud that this cohort of students, together with the Music Centre team, have contributed to such a historic moment for the University."
"It means a great deal that Warwick has placed its trust in us—staff and students alike—to bring this collaboration to life. Hearing it performed for the first time was unforgettable and I hope that, each time it is played to our graduates, they are reminded of where they have been, and inspired for their future journeys."
Dr Chris Mapp, co-composer ofThe Way is Won, and Head of Music said:
“Our previous anthem,Warwick Fanfare, was well-loved, but the difficulty of the piece meant that it often wasn’t possible for our students to perform it.The Way Is Won was commissioned to celebrate our 60th year, to reflect the full breadth of our community identity and experience, and to play to the strengths of our student musicians.”
“Associate Artist Suzzie Vango and I had the ambition to compose an uplifting and accessible piece that not only complemented and responded to the poem, but also reflected the cooperative and accessible ethos of Warwick’s Music Centre. Through rehearsal and performance, the students for whom this music was written have helped to shape the work and make it their own.”
Professor David Morley shared his lyrics with poetry students from the Warwick Writing Programme to see whether the words and tone rang true to their experience. Their responses confirmed the poem’s direction:
“I wanted the words to land in their hearts and be honest. I aimed for imagery that spoke to their feelings and captured taking joy in the moment, while also looking ahead to the future. The poem is a celebration of friends made for life, of time, presence, and togetherness, sung with the awareness of both an ending and a beginning.
“The right words at the right moment can steady you, take your hand, and help you be fully yourself. The first time I heard it performed, I was deeply moved. It spoke to me as both a parent and a teacher. I know my students’ joys, their sorrows, and their dreams, and I care for them with all my heart. I always want to be at their graduation to see them off and wish them well, though I can’t always be present. But now, whether I am there or not, they will hear a poem that says everything I want to say to them.”
The Way Is Won – by David Morley
The way is won, the years have passed.
The trees have risen from the grass.
The birds have soared beyond their nests.
The sun and moon, in endless flight,
Have crossed this stage from dawn to night.
Lift up your eyes, let dreams take flight.
Step beyond these halls of light.
The friends you’ve made, the bonds you’ve spun,
Will shine like stars long after sun.
...
The way is won, the years have passed.
The trees have risen from the grass.
The birds have soared beyond their nests.
These days were ours, this day is yours.
This day of days, this golden door,
Through learning’s light, your future soars.
Now rise, go forth—the world is wide.
The path ahead is yours to stride.
